Espen took his first steps toward the grand gate—the colossal breach separating the emerald meadows from the heart of the majestic kingdom he had been dragged into against his will. As he walked, a thousand question marks swirled in his mind regarding the name of this place, its history, and the magical laws governing it.
At the entrance to the corridor leading into the royal depths, a young woman stood like the personification of order and precision. She appeared to be in her early thirties, but her rigid posture and calm aura gave her a gravity that made her seem both older and more formidable.
She wore a crisp white formal shirt, its long sleeves expertly cuffed at the wrists, paired with a slim black skirt that complemented her lithe figure. The skirt featured a small side slit that revealed a calculated glimpse of her thigh, lending a touch of deliberate feminine elegance to her businesslike attire. Her black high heels struck the ground with rhythmic, serious thuds—enough to signal to Espen that the person approaching was no mere passerby.
Her light blonde hair was styled in a sharp, short cut that framed her face, accentuating the intensity of her pale green eyes. Those eyes held a mysterious depth—the scrutinizing gaze of someone accustomed to evaluating men and situations with a single, unerring glance.
She stopped directly in front of him, shoulder to shoulder, her face a mask of practical professionalism devoid of cruelty. She spoke in a deep, controlled voice:
"Master Espen, please follow me. I have received an urgent message from your father, Lord 'Atterman,' stating that you are suffering from sudden amnesia. I have been tasked with overseeing your care and guiding you until we reach your residence. Do not worry.. I will be by your side at all times to ensure you don't stumble again."
Espen's mouth hung open slightly as he shot her a look of mingled irony and awe. He muttered to himself:
(What a legendary story! Every time I take a step in this script, a new girl pops up like I'm in a visual novel! I'd bet everything I own that if I set foot in that school they keep talking about, there'll be a line of girls waiting for me! Is this a fantasy world or a human magnet?)
They began walking together toward the luxury residential district. Watching her steady stride, he asked with blunt curiosity:
"Speaking of lost memories and official duties.. what is your name? As you know, my brain is currently a blank sheet of paper with not a single name on it."
She turned to him calmly and replied:
"I am your personal assistant, or 'Secretary' as Lord 'Atterman' prefers to call me. My name is 'Melda'."
Espen scanned the wide streets decorated with fantastical architecture, a faint smile playing on his lips as he thought:
(Atterman.. really? What a cliché name for such a bizarre novel! But at least the assistant's name, 'Melda,' has a nice ring to it—a decent consolation for the clunkiness of my giant father's name.)
As soon as Espen's feet hit the lobby of the building, he felt a chill that had nothing to do with the weather; it was a coldness radiating from the stares of the passersby. Eyes followed him like poisoned blades, and hushed whispers cut off the moment he turned toward them. He realized then that the "Espen" he had replaced was no folk hero; he was likely the one person everyone wished would disappear.
Melda, his stern secretary with the tight white shirt, escorted him to his room. She stood there with her usual dignity and said in a formal tone:
"Master Espen, we have arrived. If you require anything, my private office is located directly on the floor below. I shall see you later." She closed the door quietly behind her, leaving him in the isolation of his room.
Espen gave the place a thorough look, his eyes widening in admiration. The room was a temple of order; everything was in its place, the furniture was polished, and there wasn't a speck of dust or chaos. He muttered as he touched the buffed surface of the desk:
"Nice.. very nice! It seems this 'Espen' was obsessed with order. The place is suspiciously tidy. Maybe I was a disciplined genius in my past life!"
Suddenly, Melda's sharp voice pierced the wooden door from the outside, as if she had anticipated exactly what he was thinking:
"Master Espen! Do not overindulge in your daydreams! I was the one who tidied and cleaned your room the entire time you were missing! Don't act like a disciplined person; in reality, you are the most pathetic individual I have ever seen when it comes to caring for your surroundings.. or yourself!"
Espen jumped, a look of shocked irony on his face, and shouted toward the door:
"Why are you still standing behind the door like a ghost? And tell me, who is this messy kid you enjoy bullying every chance you get?"
Melda's reply came with a coldness that dripped with mockery:
"Don't try to paint a picture of greatness for yourself in front of me! I don't know if you're acting out this amnesia or not, but the solid truth is that you are a walking pile of chaos. Anyway, I am going to attend to my actual work now."
Silence reclaimed the room after her departure. Espen sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, thinking:
"The priority now is information. I need to understand the history and laws of this strange world. And I'm sure of one thing.. since I'm the 'Hero' of this novel, luck is on my side. I'll close my eyes, and whatever book my hand lands on will be the key."
He executed his plan with overblown confidence; he placed his hands over his eyes and walked toward the rows of wooden bookshelves. His fingers brushed leather bindings and parchment until his hand settled on a rough-textured cover. He pulled it out slowly, then opened his eyes to see the result.
On the ancient cover, embossed gold letters read: The Book of World Legends.
Espen smiled to himself with a mix of vanity and sarcasm:
"See? I told you! My hand never misses the target, even without trying. Hah! Now, let's see what this so-called history has in store for us."
Espen threw himself into the wooden chair with the comfortable backrest, exhaling deeply as he took a long draw of the fresh room air. He opened the ancient book, which emitted a slight creak signifying its age, and began reading the first lines aloud, as if delivering an official statement to the silent walls:
"Introduction: This volume explores the history and races of this vast world; an expanse without limits, filled with mysteries, legends, and undiscovered secrets. Throughout this realm, Goblin tribes and Elven lineages are scattered in every corner, alongside beings known as 'Holy Creatures' and the Half-Giants—so named because, despite their size, they did not reach the majesty of the First Giants. This book is your comprehensive guide and the sole source for attaining complete knowledge of this world's treasures."
Espen stopped reading, a sarcastic smile forming on his lips as he shook his head:
"Wow! Really? This story is starting to get on my nerves. Just imagine someone in this universe had enough free time to write all this detailed nonsense! Poor author, must have had zero social life! And all this is just the 'Introduction'? It looks like I'll spend the rest of my youth between these pages!"
Despite his grumbling, curiosity was eating at him. Espen continued reading hungrily, trying to decode this new reality, until he reached the chapter that seemed to be the backbone of everything: "The Ability System."
Espen sat up straight, following the text:
☞ The power system in this world is divided into five fundamental branches:
First: The Duality of Light and Dark; the primordial forces known here as "White Energy" and "Black Energy."
Second: Natural Elements; including the moving cosmic forces such as Wind, Earth, Water, and Electricity, and their subsequent natural phenomena.
Espen stopped abruptly, furrowing his brows in bewilderment, whispering to himself:
"Wait a minute.. did I read that right? He listed the basic elements one by one, but he didn't mention 'Fire'! Fire, which is the foundation of every respectable fantasy world's power system! Weird..?"
He shrugged and dived back into the lines:
Third: Metallic Manifestation; including the ability to control and mimic all existing metals, from Copper and Iron to Diamond, Titanium, and Pure Gold.
Fourth: Polluted Energies; rare and mysterious types that differ radically from the rest. They are called "Pollution" because they deviate from nature, manifesting in abilities like Mental Energy or Raging Beast Energy.
Fifth and Final: Legendary Weapons; this branch includes weapons linked to ancient races or forgotten myths, inherited through generations as a sacred trust, such as the famous "Sword of Norven" and other blades that shook the foundations of this vast world.
A derisive smile stretched across Espen's face as he flipped through the pages of the ancient book, saying aloud:
"I bet you, Fate, if I flip these pages to the end, I'll find nothing but a desolate whiteness.. like the author gave up and fell asleep halfway through!"
Indeed, his fingers gave way to a quick motion, letting the paper fly before his eyes; suddenly, the words stopped. The final pages were stark white, and the paragraphs preceding them were nothing but unintelligible scribbles, like unfinished talismans.
Espen let out an exaggeratedly sarcastic laugh, tossing the book aside:
"See? I told you! The story is incomplete. The author is either lazy or lost interest in the plot entirely! It seems he got tired of describing castles and beauties and decided to leave the rest to my imagination.. well, at least he gave me an introduction so I can pretend to know what I'm talking about!"
Meanwhile, the room was not entirely unmonitored. Melda was watching him through the crack of the door, her green eyes widening with a shock she had never felt before. She whispered to herself, rubbing her forehead tiredly:
"Espen.. reading? Espen is studying and turning the pages of history? Is this the parallel world they told us about, or are my eyes deceiving me from exhaustion? Lord 'Atterman'.. it seems your son hasn't just lost his memory; he's replaced his entire personality with one that has nothing to do with him!"
Hours passed, and suddenly, the sun set, and evening arrived with its usual chill. Espen was still buried among the piles of disappointing books. He looked at the window with boredom and said:
"Fantastic! Look at this dramatic transition; it was morning a minute ago, and now it's night! What an 'intense' pace this fairy tale has! And the books tell me I 'studied'.. I haven't read anything but a few white pages and broken myths!"
As he grumbled, Espen felt a strange pull in his body's muscle memory—a physical sensation pushing him toward a specific drawer in the desk. Suddenly, he realized that "Old Espen" had one regular habit: writing in his daily diary at this exact time.
He pulled out a small leather notebook and winked at himself in the mirror:
"Great! I'll read this kid's diary. At least it'll be clearer than these books, which look like the text was designed by a broken AI!"
He began flipping through the pages, muttering in annoyance:
"Nonsense.. self-praise.. endless boasting.. wow, this kid loved himself to a pathological degree! I think I'm starting to understand the hateful looks in the lobby; this 'Espen' was narcissistic, arrogant, and saw nothing in the world but his own reflection!"
He reached the final pages, and his tone grew serious:
"Alright, let's assume for the sake of argument that these are the owner's last words before he 'departed.' Aha! I get it now! This idiot didn't fall by accident; he was the target of a planned assassination by the Priest.. the 'High Chancellor'! He was the one who gave him that strange drug I found when I woke up, claiming it would make him stronger, when in reality, he was using him as a puppet."
Espen placed his hand on his chin, his eyes gleaming with a sharp intelligence:
"Since I am still alive and well, the Chancellor now knows his plan failed. And based on my humble analysis of this predictable story, he will now send a masked figure to finish the job he started..."
No sooner had he finished his sentence than an absolute silence fell, broken by the sound of tearing air. Ssssst! A treacherous arrow shattered the room's window with lightning speed, burying itself in Espen's chest and bursting out the other side in a horrific, bloody display!
Espen stared at the arrow protruding from his body, then looked into the void with unbelievable coolness. He said in a perfectly sarcastic tone:
"Wow.. a real arrow! See? I told you this would happen.. what a cliché plot-point, but effective!"